The Kremlin Strike by Dale Brown
(Patrick McLanahan, Book 23)
Released: May 7, 2019 | Genre: Military Fiction, Action/Adventure, Science Fiction
-
In this exciting, visionary, and all-too-plausible next chapter in the legendary Dale Brown’s New York Times bestselling techno-warfare series, Brad McLanahan and the Iron Wolf Squadron must fight the Russians on a dangerous, untested battlefield: outer space.
The previous administration’s ineffective response to the growing Russian threat has left America vulnerable. Setting a bold course for America’s defense, the decisive and strong new president, John Dalton Farrell, intends to challenge Russian aggression head on. Brad and Patrick McLanahan and the formidable Iron Wolf Squadron—including the recently injured Nadia Roz, rested and back to fighting form thanks to a pair of state-of-the-art prosthetic legs—are ready and eager to join the battle.
But even with their combined forces, the Russian menace may prove too great for the Americans to overcome. Done with provocative skirmishes and playing for small stakes, the Russian president has set his sights on the ultimate prize: controlling the entire world. Expanding beyond earth’s bounds, the Russians have built a new high-tech space station and armed it with weaponry capable of destroying US satellites as well as powerful missiles pointed at strategic targets across earth.
Devising a cunning plan of attack, Brad, Nadia, and the Iron Wolf warriors will take to the skies in their advanced space planes to destroy the space station, check the Russians’ plan for dominance, and save the world. But is it already too late?
-
Dale Brown isn’t just making up all the military jargon. Before becoming a bestselling techno-thriller author, he was a former U.S. Air Force captain and B-52/F-111 navigator during the Cold War.
REVIEW
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ☆
A night-and-day experience. 🌙☀️
This book feels split right down the middle. The first half spends a lot of time setting the stage, repositioning characters in the aftermath of The Moscow Offensive while introducing a flood of new technologies, weapons, and aircraft. Honestly, there are so many new devices and systems thrown in early on that I started to worry The Kremlin Strike was going to be another Starfire: all setup, no payoff.
Then about halfway through, everything shifts, and the intensity gets dialed up to eleven.
The entire second half is basically two massive set pieces: an extended search-and-rescue mission followed by a climactic space battle with an ending that will surprise long-time fans.
The only real drawback, and it’s a big one, is Dale Brown’s heavy reliance on military jargon. I get it: specific plane models, weapon calibers, and radar systems are part of his signature style, and usually I enjoy that level of detail. But here, it bogs things down, especially once the action accelerates. With so many new technologies introduced in the first half suddenly colliding in the second, it’s easy to get lost in the acronyms and technical specs. When multiple planes, ships, weapons, and locations are all in play, sometimes clarity matters more than precision. By the end, I found myself thinking: Forget the details, just tell me if it’s American or Russian.
Side note: While the McLanahan series often dips into near-future tech with a light sci-fi touch, I’d love to see Dale Brown go all-in on a true hard science fiction novel. With his military expertise and knack for fast-paced action, I think he could deliver some interstellar warfare that’s actually compelling, something the genre often struggles with.
